Syrian Army breaks the siege at Deir ez Zor.

Deir ez Zor in 2014. Reuters. 

A quick update to yesterdays post. Deir ez Zor has been relieved. Reuters has an article up with more information. The Syrian military was able to break through ISIS lines and link up with the forces that have been trapped their for years. The siege of Deir ez Zor, which began in 2013 and got significantly worse when ISIS destroyed the local rebels, is finally over. 

This was not unexpected. ISIS is in total collapse and they have been losing territory rapidly. Indeed, we might be seeing the end of ISIS as an actual state. Pretty soon they will control no major cities as Raqqa, Deir ez Zor and Tal-Afar were the last ones they have left in the Syria/Iraq theater. Tal-Afar has been liberated, and both Raqqa and Deir ez Zor are well on their way to being retaken as well. 

I think that even if you despise Bashar al-Assad and want his regime to fail, you still have to admit that the destruction of ISIS is a good thing. I personally am relieved that the siege has been broken and hope that this means that the war will end sooner. At the very least I think we can safely say that  ISIS's back has been broken. I don't think they can recover at this point barring something completely unforeseen and unprecedented. 

Though this is a major victory for the Syrian Army, it's also pretty obvious that the battle for Deir ez Zor is not over. ISIS still controls half of the city and much of the country side around it. There is going to be some more brutal house to house fighting in the city and more people are going to die. Still, I think that ISIS morale has to be shattered and I would not be surprised if the battle for Deir ez Zor ends very soon. 

Historians will probably talk about the battle of Deir ez Zor for years to come. When you think about it, the Syrian regime accomplished a very difficult task in defending the city for as long as they did. It was a small patch of regime territory in an absolute ocean of hostile territory. But the regime was able to keep it reinforced and supplied, even after the airfield was cut off from the rest of the city. Military experts and soldiers will study what was done as there are lessons to be learned about how a modern military can defend against a siege. 

Finally, here's some raw footage showing the celebrations when the two separate groups of Syrian soldiers finally met at the end of the battle. I have no idea what these men are saying but it's pretty clear that everyone is very happy that the trapped soldiers were relived. For many of them, I am betting they thought this day would never come and now that it has, well, it's probably a pretty damn good feeling...